PeoriaStory

Grandma scam in Peoria

PEORIA -- I received an odd phone call today, July 28, from someone who claimed to be my grandson.

He said "hi grandma, this is your oldest and handsomest grandson."

I responded, "Jack," who is the youngest. He laughed. Wrong name, but it got a laugh.

Then he launched a story -- about how he was spending a few days on vacation in Winnepeg, Canada, had a couple of beers and gotten into an accident in his rental car.

"But you're not old enough to rent a car," I responded.

He hung up.

That's the old 'grandma scam.' It's been operating for years, victimizing gullible seniors. It's on the internet, endlessly.

He never got a chance to ask for money. If he were clever, he could have spun a tale about driving a car his friend had rented. But he didn't.

Just to be sure it wasn't him -- it sounded like him -- I called his mom who assured me that the oldest grandson is alive and well, at home, not in Canada.

Now what? Do I call the cops?

Why bother. They're too busy doing racial profiling, and in Peoria, shooting dogs. (See previous post on this.)

Still, people should be warned.

Don't send money to anyone who asks over the phone. And that includes charities as well as scammers.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Read it and weep

PEORIA -- Here's a devastating story on video gambling, in the Chicago Tribune.

Video gambling is addictive and destroys families and communities, according to this story, which looks at what has happened in other states where it is legal.

The Illinois General Assembly approved it without public hearings, and Gov. Quinn just signed the bill, as part of the capital improvements bill.

If this article is only half right, we can kiss Illinois as we know it good bye.

After a person has exhausted all resources trying to win money, crime is the only alternative, it says.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Talking trash in Peoria

PEORIA -- The trash/recycling conundrum is enough to make the head spin.

The city of Peoria plans to rebid its trash hauling contract soon, and at the same time planning has begun to expand the City/County Landfill at Edwards, and selection of a contractor to operate that site based on bidding is also taking place.

The issues are separate but linked, and complicated.

Waste Management currently holds both contracts, but Peoria Disposal Co. is bidding on the landfill expansion and may bid on the hauling contract as well.

On July 20, the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club and the Global Warming Group sponsored an event to discuss recycling. They want recycling included in the bid specifications for Peoria's new hauling contract.

Mike Mitchell of the non-profit advocacy group Illinois Recycling Association spoke to the audience. First he established the value of recycling, saying most recyclables are 'valuable commodities,' that can be reused.

Their reuse reduces the carbon footprint, including emissions, from manufacturing, and helps to limit global warming, he said. Processing recycled goods also creates jobs, he said.

In Illinois 56,000 jobs are attributed to recycling, a $12 billion business, as big as farming, he said.

Then he pointed out how Peoria is lagging behind. "Over 400 cities and towns (in Illinois) have curbside recycling. It's a successful, popular program and participation levels are going up," he said.

Successful programs have no barriers for residents, he said, not even a phone call to request a bin. They take everything, all items, in one bin.

Peoria's residential curbside recycling program is one of the few that requires a separate payment from an interested resident, and as a result few Peoria homes use curbside recycling.

Peoria County sponsors several recycling drop off sites, but these sites don't take some items, such as plastics or paper other than newsprint, according to audience members.

And here's the rub: the municipal landfill and these drop off sites function on money obtained from "tipping fees" -- that is garbage 'tipped' into the landfill. The more garbage in, the more money for recycling as well as landfill operations.

So local officials have no real incentive to promote recycling, which will cut into the needed revenue stream to manage garbage and limited recycling at the drop off sites.

Against this background, environmentalists want more recycling. They are promoting a system similar to Morton's where people buy stickers for trash, but can recycle free. They call it "pay per throw."

That will cost less and encourage more recycling, they believe.

Mitchell would not discount this system, but did not endorse it over ordinary no-fee curbside recycling.

That's the system used in most Illinois towns, he said, where the city furnishes two bins, one for trash, one for all recyclables. There's no overt extra charges or hassles for the residents, including deciding what can be recycled and what cannot be included in the bin.

That's the system in Macomb, where Waste Management is the hauler. It works efficiently, and spares city officials there the hassles of enforcing the fee for trash.

"I don't want to pay a fee. Our taxes are already too high," a woman in the audience commented.

In Springfield, Mitchell said, no-fee curbside recycling immediately resulted in 40 percent of the residents recycling, and it's growing. In the Chicago collar counties the rate is 75 percent to 95 percent participation, he said.

New automated equipment for recycling has lessened problems with contaminating and mixing up recyclables, he said.

Paul Jaquet, president of Eagles Enterprises Recycling, Inc., of Galva, also spoke, and urged audience members to visit his company website to see demonstrations of how recycling now works.

He said haulers strive for efficiency, and no-fee curbside recycling will be efficient, since a truck stops at almost every residence. A truck can do 100 stops in an hour, he said.

Mitchell said the best system for Peoria is likely curbside plus more drop off sites for residents of apartment buildings.

Peoria city council member Gary Sandberg attended the meeting, and asked about the size of garbage and recycling trucks. He and others are concerned about their operation in Peoria's alleys in older neighborhoods.

Jaquet said the automated trucks are not easy to operate in alleys.

He also addressed the volatile market for recyclables. It's now down, he said, at around $55 per combined ton, versus $100 a ton last year before the recession. Haulers understand the market, and make allowances for it, he said.

It remains to be seen whether Peoria's bid specifications will solicit curbside recycling, and get a reasonably-priced bid.

City officials also have discussed removing the hated, regressive $6 per month garbage 'fee' placed on water bills. It could be folded into the general tax rate, a fairer way to tax and pay for the service.

So -- stay tuned to the trash talk coming out of city hall. It will involve millions of dollars and set a benchmark for how progressive Peoria plans to portray itself in the future.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Coverage overkill

PEORIA -- Another death, this time of Walter Cronkite, and more TV overkill.

Sure I liked WC, and I watched one network show about his career, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann show Countdown on Friday. That was enough.

Alas, Countdown was interrupted in mid-story, an interesting piece about how a conservative think tank was selling its influence to the highest bidder, apparently UPS, after being turned down by Fed-Ex.

Who knew that the omnipresent think tanks with their policy papers and experts ready to be interviewed were actually just crass PR machines. They don't really believe the drivel they espouse, apparently. Maybe that's a relief. Anyway I wanted to see the end of that segment, but instead got WC's career.

Well, that was enough. But the Rachel Maddow Show that follows Olbermann also had an hour-long show on WC. I changed the channel.

Obviously the networks put these shows together in advance of WC's death -- a creepy thought but standard procedure in the news biz. Gotta be first, you know.

I'm not the only one annoyed by the wallpaper coverage of celebrity deaths (Michael Jackson immediately comes to mind).

Randy Fritz also has incisive commentary on his blog about how these deaths squeeze out everything else for days.

Isn't it odd how people are more interested in Michael Jackson than in their own government as it debates huge issues such as health care that affects everyone in the US, war/terrorism and global warming. Thirty-one million people watched the funeral.

31,000,000.

So people are interested, at least in MJ. And the mass media gives the public what it wants, even if it's not good for them or relevant to their actual lives.

But Walter Cronkite?

Bring on the exposes about Republican sex scandals. Now that's amusing. Hypocrisy will always get a laugh.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Comment 7/19/09: Burton Raabe wrote:

When celebrity death elegies are in full swing, I always think"How many troops were killed today and what was their story?"

But it looks like we are headed for endless war again.

Recycling discussion

PEORIA -- The executive director of the Illinois Recycling Association Michael Mitchell will speak from 7:30 - 9 p.m. on Monday, July 20 at LaGondola Restaurant (formerly Leonardos), 700 E. War Memorial Drive at Wisconsin Ave.

His talk, sponsored by the Global Warming Solutions Group and Sierra Club, will focus on waste and recycling in Peoria.

He will discuss the experiences of other Illinois cities using a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program (paying for trash with recycling free) and address questions from attendees as part of a panel.

These issues are important as Peoria moves to deal with its expiring residential trash hauling contract and municipal landfill expansion.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dave Pittman at [email protected] or Kassy Killey at [email protected]. -30-

Health care crunch

PEORIA -- Here's another health care forum, just as the national effort for reform heats up.

A presentation entitled "Reasoned Health Care Reform" with Donald J. Crane, M.D. and Beverlee Gilmore takes place at 6 p.m. on July 29 at the Peoria Public Library, 107 NE Monroe.

According to the news release: On May 30th, the Campaign for Better Health Care sponsored a Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform. One of the Forum panel members, Donald J. Crane, M.D. received so many inquiries and positive comments about his remarks that he and his partner Beverlee Gilmore have decided to offer a public presentation to better explain health care reform and a workable model for universal health care. They will be discussing some of the ideas published in their recent book, Reasoned Health Care Reform, which they have sent to all members of Congress.


The presentation is free, and will be followed by questions and discussion.

According to the release: Dr. Crane and Beverlee Gilmore formed Crane Gilmore & Associates, Inc in 2001, after they retired from Caterpillar Inc. to start their own consulting company. Their efforts are dedicated to addressing a problem that affects the entire nation. Sixty-five years experience in the corporate world of health management allowed them to study and understand challenges facing all employers-that of unacceptably high health care costs.

They believe that current health care reform proposals do not go far enough and tend to be self-serving. Their approach to health care reform goes farther than any being considered. They have no agenda other than to see that all Americans receive sustainable, quality medical care at a reasonable price.

They believe that there is already more than enough money in the system to pay for quality health care for all Americans through improved efficiencies, holding accountable those benefiting from the system without contributing, reducing greed and accepting change. They bring a unique perspective to the discussion on health care for all.

They can be reached at Crane Gilmore & Associates, Inc.: (309) 674-8786. -30-

Amtrak still dysfunctional

UPDATE -- See comment below.

MACOMB -- At six months into the Obama Administration, Amtrak remains stuck in the 19th century. Here's the latest folly, described in a letter my husband, George Hopkins, wrote to the Peoria Journal Star, which they have ignored:

Letter to Forum:

How sad that Amtrak cannot operate rationally. This morning (July 8) I put my 17-year-old grandson on the Amtrak train at Macomb for Chicago after a golf visit with me.

The conductor would not allow him to carry his golf clubs aboard. I have carried golf clubs on that same train myself repeatedly. Apparently this policy is announced nowhere except on the website and is only sporadically enforced. Now I must drive my grandson's golf clubs to the Chicago suburbs.

What an absurd policy! Are golf clubs really so dangerous? Too bulky? Any of the huge bags being carried aboard this morning could easily have contained golf clubs--or anything! None I saw were inspected. Bikes are permitted! Ski poles too!

Illinois supports Amtrak with tax dollars. Ruining a family visit with our own tax dollars is a great way to support "Illinois Adventures!"

George E. Hopkins,
Peoria and Macomb

But that's not all that was ignored. I sent an e-mail to former Macomb mayor Tom Carper, who is now chairman of the national Amtrak Board of Directors. He's an acquaintance. No response.

I also sent a complaint to the Amtrak website. Here's their response:

Dear George E Hopkins,

Thank you for contacting us.

We have forwarded your e-mail to our Customer Relations Department. They will contact you as soon as possible in the order that the e-mail was received.

If you prefer, you can contact them through our toll free number, 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). Select the number '0' immediately to avoid the automated information menu, and an agent will transfer your call. The Customer Relations Department is staffed Monday through Friday between 7am -10pm (ET).

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Pam
Amtrak Customer Service

That was a week ago. Since then, nothing.

What on earth is Amtrak thinking, that a conductor has the option to refuse to allow golf clubs on the train? That's the situation. Some conductors allow the clubs, some don't.

Another Macomb friend took his expensive clubs to Seattle, on Amtrak, with no problems. But on the return trip, the conductor refused to allow him to bring them aboard. Luckily his friend was seeing him off at the station. The friend had to ship them to Macomb, at considerable expense.

This is insane. Amtrak doesn't inspect its baggage. Someone could board with a machine gun in a box. But not golf clubs?

This kind of thing from a quasi-government agency is why some people are suspicious of government programs of all types -- including expanded medical care: arbitrary, insane authority exercised by petty bureaucrats having a bad day.

The airlines wonder why people aren't traveling on them! Answer: It's a hassle. We go via car whenever possible. No extra fees, intrusive searches, fear of a bureaucrat having a bad day, or life.

Finally, some people get revenge. There's a terrific video made by a Canadian musician after United Airlines destroyed his beloved guitar.

Here's a good Chicago Tribune story on him, with a link to the video. I'd make one about Amtrak if I could!.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Comment, 7/28/09. Elliott R writes: I had basically the exact same experience as what you wrote about.

I was going from Chicago to Kalamazoo, and I have taken my golf clubs before, but this time they stopped me and refused to allow me on board.

They said I had to go talk to a manager, who then said I had to go talk to the conductor. The manager was actually somewhat helpful as she walked me out to meet the conductor.

The conductor reeked of alcohol (this was a 7 am train btw) and he initially refused
to let me on board. I basically had to beg him, and he relented and put my clubs in a baggage car. If they're going to do something like that at least make that clear on the website.

Like you said, you could walk on with a nuclear bomb, but not golf clubs.

It was one of the most unbelievable examples of idiotic bureaucracy I've ever seen -
especially when they want more people to ride the train. -30-

Elaine Hopkins responds: Wonder if he wanted a bribe? -30-

Wacky evaluation for Wacky Wednesdays

PEORIA -- So Peoria School District 150 paid a Bradly University prof $1,500 to evaluate its 'Wacky Wednesdays' program wherein middle school children are released early on some Wednesday afternoons so the teachers can experience 'professional development.'

First, read the Peoria Journal Story on the evaluation. Be sure to read the comments, as well.

Then consider: this study is so badly flawed it would never be published in a reputable journal. It's basically anecdotal, and tells the taxpayers and the school administrators little or nothing of value.

The statements of the teachers in the newspaper story and their comments are at least first hand quotations, based on their experiences. They agree, WW is worthless. Not what District 150 wants to hear.

But back to the study itself. Here's the huge question -- why would a Bradley prof who presumably knows better participate in such a flawed study?

He used a non representative sample, which was not random, and basically selected for his convenience.

Good thing medical studies aren't done this way (we hope) or we would all be dead by now from flawed medications or procedures.

Not every teacher had an equal chance to participate in the interviews, which were amazingly, conducted in front of their colleagues and bosses!

Now there's a great way to find out the truth!

The WW study also omits vital information: a look at the social implications of this released time. Are these children, perhaps left on their own, getting into trouble?

Did anyone talk to the police, or pull the police reports on these dates to see if juvenile crime increases? Does vandalism and crime go up? "We see it in our neighborhood," one person who is critical of the WW plan told me. That's anecdotal, though.

And what about attendance on these Wednesdays? Many parents apparently find it easier to keep the kids home than deal with a split school day.

How much does District 150 lose in state funds, based on attendance, because of the flawed WW plan? Now that would be an interesting figure for the prof to reveal.

So taxpayers are ripped off again, $1,500 for a worthless study, somehow appropriate for a worthless Wacky Wednesdays plan that likely is helping to push District 150 down the drain.

-- Elaine Hopkins

Commanday to lead new classical music group

PEORIA -- The Heartland Festival Orchestra has organized, with former Peoria
Symphony Orchestra music director David Commanday as its leader.

The Journal Star has the story, including the first soloist, the great pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi.

Commanday has the contacts to bring in the best.

And there's more. The group behind this new orchestra envisions something that may save classical music for the future. It will involve only highly skilled musicians, along with multi-media events and innovative programming.

Heartland initially wanted to use Northwoods Community Church as a venue for the performances. That auditorium has a good multi-media setup, an organizer said.

But that idea fell through -- wonder why! (Hint -- keep asking!)

So Heartland found a new venue, at least for the first performance on Aug. 28, Five Points Center in nearby Washington. With Antonio Pompa-Baldi. For only $27.

Using community facilities cuts the high cost of the Peoria Civic Center, which arts groups have complained about.

Heartland also will be less expensive than the pricey Peoria Symphony, and more exciting and new. Though the Heartland organizers deny it, the new Festival Orchestra most likely will compete with the Peoria Symphony for audience members and support.

The Peoria Symphony board fired Commanday last winter even though more than 900 people signed petitions asking the board to keep him. For details see stories under Peoria Symphony category.

Who knew classical music could be so dramatic!

So -- goodbye to our great but expensive center seats tied to our season tickets to the Peoria Symphony. Someone else can stumble over the other audience members in the CC theater with no center isle. Goodbye to parking expenses, too. We'll be attending Commanday's group.

-- Elaine Hopkins

7/12/09: Here is the news release from the Heartland Festival Orchestra:

Heartland Festival Orchestra Launches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 7, 2009

On June 25, 2009, the Heartland Festival Orchestra was founded by a group of musicians and community supporters who shared a vision of an entirely new element in the musical life of our region -- a chamber orchestra of the highest quality.

The Heartland Festival Orchestra is created to perform the finest repertoire for chamber orchestra, and is dedicated to serving Peoria and the extended communities of Central Illinois with musical excellence, innovation, and imagination. Recruiting the finest among the region's professional musicians, its performances will vary in musical styles and periods, ensemble size, and venue. Concerts will challenge the stereotypes of classical music performance, inviting audiences to participate in an informal, spontaneous, and interactive experience, incorporating other arts and media when appropriate.

An additional key element of the HFO's mission is to partner with local, regional, and national charitable organizations in order that they may share in the outreach and financial benefit of our concerts.

The founding members and musicians of the HFO are also proud to announce that David Commanday has agreed to be Artistic Director and Conductor.

Said musician spokesperson Amy Gilreath:
"As musicians, we have always felt this community needed a world-class, professional chamber orchestra. We love the intimacy and flexibility that a chamber orchestra provides along with the challenges it brings to our technique and musicianship. Additionally, we have longed to be a part of the creative force in a professional organization; contributing the expertise that we have acquired with lifelong professional training and dedication. We are very excited at the prospect of realizing these goals with this top-quality ensemble in collaboration with Maestro Commanday."

David Commanday offered the following statement:

"It gives me great pleasure to salute the creation of the Heartland Festival Orchestra, and to acknowledge with gratitude my designation as its founding Artistic Director and Conductor. This will be for me a welcome opportunity to make music with my long-time friends and colleagues, the finest players of the region, and to thank the community of music lovers who have demonstrated such loyalty and support. It will be our mission to make great music, and in so doing also to benefit the charitable institutions which serve our community with such distinction."

The HFO's inaugural performance will be August 28, 2009, at Five Points Washington Caterpillar Performing Arts Center in Washington, Illinois, at 7:30 p.m. The program is entitled "Favorites and Friends", and will include works by Mozart, Rossini, and Tchaikovsky. Antonio Pompa-Baldi will be our very special guest soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, K.488.

In keeping with our mission, a portion of the proceeds from the concert will be donated to our charity partner for this event, The Children's Home. The Children’s Home has been caring for the children in our community for well over 140 years. Operating from five locations in the Peoria area, their professional staff, of approximately 450, are committed to community-based, family-focused programs that provide counseling, education and support to nearly 1,000 children each month. Programs for children and youth include: residential care, group homes, foster care and adoption, supervised independent living, private school, crisis intervention, mental health assessment, homeless services, in-home counseling and family preservation.

Four additional concerts will follow this season, whose dates, locations, and partnering charities are soon to be announced.

Tickets can be purchased for the Inaugural August 28 concert on line starting July 9 at www.fivepointswashington.org, by calling 444-8222, or in person at Kidder Music. Tickets are $27 for adults and $7 for children and students. To learn more about the mission of the Heartland Festival Orchestra and for information on how you can contribute and participate in our efforts please visit us online at www.heartlandfestivalorchestra.org .

For further information contact Sea Stipe; [email protected] , 309/691-0010 or 309/361-8098.

Note: for tickets hit the website, www.fivepointswashington.org. There's no fee, you can pick out your seat, and you can immediately print out your e-ticket. Very slick and efficient, and likely to save thousands of dollars in ticket handling costs for this new group.

HOI Fair includes exploited animals

PEORIA -- Here's a post from Monica Ball, an animal advocate:

Thankfully, this year’s HOI Fair (July 10-18 at Expo Gardens) will NOT include the elephant and tiger exhibit that we protested against last year!

However, Woody’s Menagerie will be at the fair this year. From their website http://www.woodysmenagerie.com/index.php?pg=welcome , it’s obvious they are just profiting off of the animals, most likely breeding them, since they have lion and liger cubs in most photos.

Ligers are a cross between a lion and tiger which doesn’t happen in the wild and serves no educational or conservation purpose but is done because people will pay to see ligers.

They certainly are not acting in the animals’ best interests.

I won’t be scheduling a protest, but I encourage anyone interested to write a letter to the editor ([email protected]) and the HOI Fair board ([email protected]) urging them not to include any wild animal acts in future years because they are simply a form of animal mistreatment for profit.

For more information on why these types of traveling exhibits are bad for animals, visit www.wildlifepimps.com.